


Hair of the Dog

by junko



Series: 'Tails' of Zabimaru [8]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-21
Updated: 2012-07-21
Packaged: 2017-11-10 10:04:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/465063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Academy intern Renji Abarai’s new tattoos are causing a lot of reactions… some of them unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hair of the Dog

By noon, Renji was getting pretty tired of all the curious faces of the Thirteenth Division slowly parading past his tiny office door. It was hard to even get started this morning, since Renji had to stand for the seated officers. He’d given up on trying to write anything, and was now reading while standing behind his desk. At least this way, he only had to look up and nod, or, depending on how high up in rank, wait around at attention until they told him to “carry on.” Thus, he had a large volume of regulations balanced precariously in one hand, and a bowl of tea in the other.

He was pretty sure that most of the higher ranking officers had finished checking out his new eyebrow tats—except possibly those damn Third Seats, who seemed to find them endlessly hilarious and kept sauntering by and snickering.

 _I will not kill an officer before graduation; I will not kill_ … Renji started his internal mantra as Kiyone Kotetsu found yet another excuse to come down his hallway. He set the book down and straightened. “Ma’am,” he said to her in acknowledgement, but she giggled and scurried off.

Giggled.

_Shit, if she thought these were so damn funny, she should see the ones on my ass._

Renji finished the last dregs of his tea with a sigh. It was probably just as well he was only trying to catch up on reading this morning since his brain was still a bit fuzzy around the edges thanks to his weekend-long binge with the guys from the Eleventh. Man, those soldiers knew how to party. Renji still couldn’t quite believe they’d talked him into leaving the Seireitei to go back out into the Rukongai, something he swore to himself that he’d never do unless under direct orders.

But, it wasn’t like there was a decent tattoo parlor inside the walls.

“Oh, goodness! It’s true.”

Renji looked up to see Captain Ukitake peering around the edge of the door like a curious schoolboy. His long, snow-white hair draped straight down, parallel to the wooden frame.

Quickly, Renji set the book down and straightened his shoulders, “Sir!”

It was always strange to Renji how Captain Ukitake could sneak up on him. Renji had gotten pretty good at sensing people’s reistsu, but there was something about the captain that moved completely under Renji’s radar. It wasn’t a lack of power--because once Renji detected Ukitake’s spiritual pressure, it was hard to miss: it felt like floating on the smooth surface of a bottomless lake. The sensation felt like everything dropped out beneath him, going down and down, deeper and deeper.

The captain waved off Renji’s formality. “Please, at ease.” He stepped forward to stand at the threshold smiling curiously. “I just came to see what everyone’s been talking about--and to bring you a little tea.” He held up the bowl in his hand as though to prove it. “Something from my private store that I thought you might appreciate this morning.”

Coming into the narrow room, the captain set a steaming bowl on a clear section of Renji’s desk. Renji could smell the strong chestnutty flavor from where he stood. “Thank you, sir, but you didn’t need to do that for me.”

“Oh, but I feel terribly responsible,” Ukitake said settling into seiza.

Renji quickly followed suit, though he knew he wouldn’t last long in that position, so he crossed his legs. He took the tea and tasted it. Oh! It was dark and powerful. He could feel the cobwebs shaking from his brain almost instantly.

Ukitake smiled knowingly at Renji’s reaction. “Yes, it’s good, isn’t it? Shunsui swears by in on… uh, well, particularly rough mornings after.”

Renji nodded, not sure what to say to that, though the rumors about Captain Kyōraku’s drinking habits were all over the Soul Society. He was apparently some kind of hugely sloppy drunk, though that reputation didn’t jibe with Renji’s impression of the sly, intelligent captain.

Renji sipped the tea, feeling a bit awkward with the captain of the division sitting on the other side of Renji’s tiny desk, like some kind of subordinate. But, if it bothered Ukitake, he didn’t show it. Instead, the captain stared at Renji’s forehead. Ukitake’s dark eyebrows crinkled in a sort of worried/curious look, and his hand rose to his mouth as though trying to hide his shocked expression.

“Is something wrong, sir?” Renji finally had to ask.

“You know, I think they have the equipment, but I wouldn’t trust the Twelfth with anything so delicate. However, I’m sure the captain of the Fourth could do it. She certainly has the skill.”

“The skill for what, sir?”

“Tattoo removal,” Ukitake said.

“Oh, uh,” Renji rubbed his forehead awkwardly. “That won’t be necessary, sir.”

“So… you were sober?”

“Well, no,” Renji admitted, feeling a bright blush creeping up his neck. “But, I knew what I was doing. No regrets.”

“Oh. I see,” Ukitake nodded as though he understood, but he continued to frown, however. “You tattooed your _face_ on  purpose?”

Actually, had Renji not run out of money, there would have been a whole lot more than just a couple of swoops over his eyebrows. He’d have ink on his neck, too. But the large pieces across his chest and butt had really set him back, “Yes, sir.”

“Ah.”

It seemed like the end of the discussion, but Ukitake continued to sit and stare at Renji’s face. Renji tried to control his blush and drink his tea slowly, patiently. However, he was disappointed to see he’d already nearly finished the drink. Too bad the tea was probably ridiculously expensive, or he’d ask Ukitake where he might be able to buy a tin or two. Not that Renji would be able to afford much of anything for a while. He was completely skinned, broke.

“Do they mean something?” Ukitake asked, pointing to his own forehead and making a little up-and-down motion. “Are they a reference to some tribal connection or family crest?”

Renji set the empty tea bowl down, and frowned at the tea leaves stuck to the bottom. “Sort of. They’re, uh…” Renji hesitated. He’d never really talked to anyone about this besides Captain Kyōraku… and, well, Rukia. And, her reaction seemed to be the norm-- _she_ thought he was crazy. Even Kyōraku had made him feel a bit odd for trying to transform his body with the demon’s markings. Renji looked up into Ukitake’s gentle, sea-green eyes trying to gauge what his reaction might be. Given how completely baffled he seemed by tattoos in general, Renji looked away with a shrug, “They’re for someone… someone important to me.”

“Ah! Like a memorial,” Ukitake brightened, as if pleased to have made that connection.

“Hmmm,” Renji didn’t want to dissuade the captain, especially since he seemed so taken with the idea. Besides, it was sort of difficult to explain his intense relationship with a zanpakto he didn't even have yet, “Sure.”

“I suppose you lost a lot of friends out in Inuzuri,” Ukitake continued. “It’s important we remember them, yes?”

Well, that was true, even if it had nothing to do with the tats, “Yeah.”

“Of course, of course,” Ukitake was nodding seriously now. He pulled himself to his feet, and Renji scrambled up as well. The captain put a hand on Renji’s shoulder briefly. “It’s honorable to commemorate fallen comrades--in _whatever_ way you think best to preserve their memory. I’m sure you’ve done them justice.”

It was far too late to say anything other than, “Yes, sir.”

 

#

Later, Renji was taking a break at Ukitake’s insistence out in the courtyard. He’d found a shady spot under a maple to eat a late lunch. He tilted his head back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes, hoping to catch a micro-nap.

A ‘shadow’ that was more reistsu than light stepped in front of him, followed by the strong scent of wisteria blossoms. “ Ayasegawa,” Renji said without opening his eyes. “It’s early for you, isn’t it, sir?”

“You know what I like best about you, cadet?” Yumichika said. “It’s all the ‘sirs.’ I hardly get this much respect in my own Division.”

Renji opened his eyes in time to watch Yumichika settling down on the grass with his legs to the side like a woman and adjusting his hakama to flare out attractively. Renji shook his head silently at Yumichika’s ministrations, “Well, no offense, sir, but with that lot, are you surprised?”

“Hmmm, no, not really,” he said lightly, reaching over to pick a piece of fruit from Renji’s lunch. He dropped it delicately into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, “But your ability to remain conscious of rank is impressive. You even managed to keep it up while piss-eyed drunk. Ikkaku in particular found all the slurred ‘sirs’ hilarious. I think he’s quite taken with you, in fact. He keeps calling you ‘scrappy.’”

“‘Scrappy,’ huh? I guess that’s good.”

“Yes, well, Ikkaku insisted I come by to check on you this morning.” Yumichika gave Renji a long look out of the side of his eyes. “I see, despite the state of you last night when we poured you into bed, you’re in one piece and breathing.”

The disappointed jealousy in Yumichika’s voice was apparent even in Renji’s less-than-optimal state.

“I suppose you expect you’ve been adopted, now,” Yumichika added, his tone growing subtly sharper, “A stray taken in by the pack.”

Okay. Clearly, he wasn’t supposed to feel that way. So Renji raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I don’t know what you’re concerned about, sir, but I’ve got no intentions of sniffing around anywhere I don’t belong. Anyway, you guys broke me. Completely. I couldn’t afford to come drinking again if you asked. And,” he added with a little laugh. “I probably wouldn’t survive it.”

“Excellent,” Yumichika said, dusting off his hakama before standing up. “I don’t want you thinking you have some kind of special relationship with the Eleventh just because of one weekend bender.”

“No, sir, I understand.”

Yumichika finally graced Renji with a slight smile. “I knew you were smarter than you looked.” He turned and waved over his shoulder, “Try not to scare the all the kiddies over here with your new tattoos, big guy.”

 

#

Renji was sort of put off by his interaction with Yumichika and so he waded back into the paperwork pile and managed to sort, file and send off a large chunk of things by the end of the day. It helped that the gawker parade had stopped. He was just closing up for the evening when he ran into Captain Kyōraku… as Kyōraku was coming out of Ukitake’s quarters.

When he saw Renji, Kyōraku smiled brightly, adjusting his hat. “Ah, just the man I was looking for. Hair of the dog?”

For a second the offer didn’t register and Renji thought he was being insulted somehow. But, then it clicked, and he shook his head, “A drink? I’m not sure, sir. I think my liver is still marinating in it.”

“Ha!” Kyōraku laughed, coming over to give Renji a broad pat on the back. “You need to toughen up, then! Think of it as officer training.”

 

#

The izakaya Kyōraku took him to was much nicer than any he’d visited with the Eleventh. They were shown to a low table and given hot towels for their hands. Renji resisted the urge to plunge his face into its steamy warmth, even though the effects of Ukitake’s tea had worn off some time ago and he was getting a mild headache. A harried waitress next deposited a tray of sashimi along with a bottle and two bowls.

Renji desperately looked around trying to see the menu posted anywhere. “You know I’m broke, right?”

“It’s my treat,” the captain said, pouring sake into the bowl in front of Renji. “My partner seems to think you’re deep in grief over the anniversary of some lover or friend’s untimely demise. I’m surprised you’d rather lie than tell him about your Zabimaru.”

Renji had been about to take a drink, but he slammed the bowl down onto the table. “Who are you calling a liar!?”

Kyōraku tilted his hat and watched Renji carefully for a long moment, finally Renji sighed.

“I just… alright, look,” Renji said with a shake of his head. “Captain Ukitake had made up his mind before I could figure out how to explain.”

Kyōraku nodded, taking a sip of sake. “Jūshirō would have understood, you know. He’s an old soul, like me.”

Renji frowned at the clear liquid in the bowl he twirled between his fingers. “You say that, but it’s weird, right? I don’t see these other shinigami dressing up like their zanpaktō. Some of them don’t even seem to talk to them.”

“Some don’t,” Kyōraku agreed sadly.

Renji leaned in, his elbows on the low table, “Can you explain that to me, sir? I don’t understand it. I’m working my ass off to get closer to him, and… well, I almost got in a fight last night, or was it Saturday—?” Renji scratched his chin for a second trying to clear the haze of the weekend, and then decided it didn’t matter. “Anyway, there was this woman, right? She was flirting with me, but the bar was crowded. I couldn’t hear a word she was saying. But, by the gods, I could hear her damn zanpaktō. The poor thing! She was crying.”

Kyōraku filled Renji’s bowl and gave Renji an encouraging nod to continue his story.

“Right," Renji said, "So I told her she should stop talking to me and start talking to her pathetic zanpaktō. I guess she didn’t like hearing that either, so she slugged me. And, then I think a brawl broke out, but, you know, I was kind of tagging along with some guys from the Eleventh.”

“Oh dear, running with the wolves, eh?”

“I guess.” Renji lifted a shoulder again and took a long drink. “But, that woman… how could she let things get that bad, sir?”

“Some people aren’t ready to face it. Their true nature scares them.”

Renji shook his head. “It’s not like you can deny something like that.”

“Yet a lot of people try.”

“Why?”

“How would a man like you feel life you discovered your soul was female? Or a life-sucking leech? Or,” he added with a laugh, “A sparkly unicorn?”

Renji remembered that Kyōraku’s zanpaktōs were a female demon, Katen Kyōkotsu. He supposed that a man might have to do a lot of soul searching to be okay with accepting that reality about himself. Renji sometimes wondered what it meant to be carrying a nue demon, but then, other days, it made a whole lot of sense.

“Admit it.  You were concerned what Jūshirō might think of you,” Kyōraku added. “Many people in your predicament might fear they were secretly _yōkai,_ or that perhaps one of their parents were.”

Renji snorted a laugh and tried to decide if Kyōraku was being serious. “Now I know you’re messing with me. _Yōkai_? Like, what, I’m _really_ a dog--a tanuki--wandering around masquerading as human?”

“It’s easy to scoff, but there are a lot of strange things in this world. It’s not as though we can deny the existence of magic and spirits. You walk in the land of the dead, my boy.”

A shiver crawled up Renji’s spine. He covered it by slugging back the rest of his sake. “Humph. I still say it’s a crime to let your zanpaktō cry, even if you don’t want to accept your inner sparkling unicorn.”

“Indeed,” Kyōraku agreed.

Renji took the sake jug and filled the captain's bowl and his own. He had another question he’d been dying to ask either Ukitake or Kyōraku, and it finally seemed like it might be an appropriate time, given their discussion. “So, sir, how is it that you and Captain Ukitake have two blades? How can a person have two souls?”

“Ah,” Kyōraku smiled, “Your boldness is ever so refreshing, Mr. Renji. Most people just give us looks and never ask.”

“Oh, uh,” Renji lifted a hand in surrender. “If it’s too personal—“

“No, not at all, I’m happy to answer. Have you ever worked in a kitchen or spent time around chickens?”

“Sure, I’ve helped out the cooks at Academy,” Renji said, wondering where the hell Kyōraku was going with this.

“Then you may have come across this rare phenomenon. Sometimes when you crack a single egg, there are two yolks. Or, perhaps you’ve seen a double cherry fruit that’s grown around a single pit. That’s how it is for me and my Katen Kyōkotsu, and Jūshirō and his Sōgyo no Kotowari."

Renji chewed on a little tuna he snuck from the plate with his fingers. “Does that mean, like with the egg, you were supposed to be two people, but—“ he stopped. He didn’t want to imply that one of the souls had died or been deformed.

“Possibly,” Kyōraku said. “Perhaps next time around we’ll split and be true twins, though I doubt it. This feels natural to me, right. To me, it doesn’t matter what chicken would have been, I am the egg. And some eggs carry two yolks.”

Renji liked the simplicity of that. He lifted his bowl, “I’ll drink to that.”

Kyōraku let out a hearty laugh, “You, dear boy, are a man after my own heart.”

 


End file.
